The House of Representatives President Annita Demetriou has taken personal responsibility for procedural issues that arose during Thursday’s parliamentary session concerning a constitutional amendment.
In a statement released today, Demetriou said she would assume responsibility for “any matters of order, procedure, interpretation or application of parliamentary regulations” during the controversial vote on environmental rights.
The amendment, which seeks to establish a constitutional right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, passed with 37 votes, one short of the 38 legally required for constitutional changes.
“Following consultation with the Republic’s Law Office, this law will necessarily follow the constitutional path for its enactment and may be referred back under Article 51”, Demetriou said.
“If the right of referral is exercised immediately, the matter will be brought before the next plenary session”.
The vote was marked by confusion when it was initially discovered that the chamber lacked the minimum number of MPs required for a constitutional amendment. After nearly an hour of disputes, some MPs hurriedly returned to the chamber for the vote.
Despite objections from some MPs about the validity of passing a constitutional amendment with fewer than 38 votes, parliamentary services confirmed there was precedent for such action, and the amendment was ultimately deemed legally approved.
